This is day 11 of 32. Throughout April, we will be posting daily. We invite you to learn about Chinese Muslims and pray with us for God’s glory to be made known among them. If you would like to read other posts in this series, you can find them here or download the prayer guide here.
Sophia* awoke and smiled as she looked around, thankful to be back home with her family for summer break. She did a double-take as she walked by a mirror and saw her hair down for the first time in six months. While she was in Pakistan she had hardly ever taken off her head covering for fear of drawing attention to herself. Her dad had heard that people often became targets for the militant Pakistani Muslims if they don’t follow the pillars of Islam, so he made her promise to keep her head covered at all times for her own safety. Sophia was so happy to be home where she could feel carefree.
Sitting down with a cup of tea, Sophia watched the stillness outside. Shops were not yet open, the sun was rising over the mountains in the east, and a few older men who had been to mosque sat chatting with one another and waiting to have breakfast. Missing was the chaos, the frenetic activity, the sound of gunshots or car bombs. Just before she left her father has told her, “You don’t want anyone to notice you, so just move about quietly, don’t do anything, ANYTHING to draw attention to yourself.” She soon learned what that meant, and stuck close to her few friends from home at their university, spending most of their time in the solace of their dorm room. They learned to go to the market during the times that the men were in mosque, which somehow felt safer. Though the women selling vibrant silk clothing and unique knick-knacks were friendly, they simply didn’t know who to trust.
In fact only two people outside their group struck Sophia as “safe.” On the outside, these white English teachers from the U.K. should seem to be a threat because their skin, dress, speech and beliefs would make them a target for the militants. And surely they must be aware of this fact! Yet they walked and spoke with a peace and a hope unlike everyone around them. Sophia assumed they were Christians, since other Christians she knew in China had acted the same, but she had yet to ask them. With this kind of peace, she wondered, would they have answers for her big life questions? Like why did she not get into university in China? Did the fact that she was slightly disabled since birth mean she would never marry? Was she beautiful despite the disability? How was she going to make it in Pakistan for five years of school with this kind of pressure? Was there any hope for her going to America to study? Sophia wondered if she would ever have the courage to ask her teachers what they believed, who they trust, and if she could know the same peace.
Prayer Requests:
- Pray that Sophia and others like her will have the courage to ask Christians what they believe and who they trust, and that when they hear about Jesus they will turn and follow Him alone.
- Pray for God to provide Christian teachers opportunities to share the the Gospel with Chinese Muslim students.
*name changed
Did You Know? The Salar people are quite warm, friendly and hospitable, often offering a stranger tea or perhaps even a complete meal. They are quite approachable and are usually smiling.